Posts Tagged ‘Ed Wood’

So yesterday was one of those kinda laid back affairs spent pretty much just hanging out at home. Something everybody keeps telling me I definitely should do more, but my thwarted work ethic kinda ixnays every time. I slept in late – FYI that means 7:30 a.m. – and had some kick-ass hash browns for breakfast. I love those and nowadays I do them in the oven ’cause it makes ’em a bit more crispy and gives ’em a nice crust that’s just yummylicious to eat. Yes, it’s a word. I just invented it.

Took some time to go through a bunch of VHS classics I’ve got collecting dust like Neon Maniacs and The Video Dead, as well as some not-so-classic fare like Robot Holocaust. Good thing I’m one of those people that refuse to deem my tastes to be superior and waste time pointing out the flaws of others’ creations (it’s a side-effect of being a fan of Ed Wood I guess) ’cause if I was I’d say that the latter movie is one of those affairs that if you just manage to get through the initial twenty minutes it’ll get much, much worse.

Anyway, it just wouldn’t be me if I somehow didn’t find the time to actually do something creative even though I told myself I was having a day off. So I also took the time to twiddle – note, not work! – with Call Me Greenhorn‘s Pink Hulk and ended up with Pink Hulk Version, focusing on the beat while replacing the bass with a gnarly Moog. It was a fun endeavor – twiddling always is as I just do whatever the heck pops up in my head – and the end results surprisingly good so I added it to the “single” making it an EP. Check it out.

Well, I’ve already written about this, but here’s the latest spam mail found in my inbox. And it’s actually a bit more convincing than the previous “I’ve transaction for you” that I received the last time, so I’m guessing English lessons or at least dictionaries are somewhat increasing in sales in whatever country these are generated (China?). Too bad about the “Dear Sir/Madam” part though, ’cause even though I’m a huge fan of Ed Wood‘s Glen or Glenda? I am very secure in my gender identity.

Anyway, this along with the increase of that other form of spam that includes commenting or liking other people’s blogs in order to generate interest/traffic to their get-rich-quick schemes et. al. got me thinking of what good ol’ Bill Hicks had so say about the phenomenon, and even though I would never encourage a fellow human being to actually off themselves, I’d still like to extend a wish they’d just fuck off and die find something else to do with their time.

So how was your day, honey? I call mine ‘Crappy Diem’. Lucky I’m such a hopelessly positive kinda guy that I find this complete comedy of errors so darn funny I actually laughed while summing it up. And call me superstitious, but I kinda noticed that every time I have one of ‘those’ days we all have from time to time something thrilling comes shortly afterwards. So I’m kinda positive about this! Then again it might just be the fever talking. ‘Til next time…

Well, a lobby card it ain’t, but I lucked out and managed to score a lobby photo from Ed Wood‘s cult classic The Bride of the Monster on eBay this week, so I finished off my X-Mas shopping with a little something for myself. From 1956, approx. 8×10″ with some slight bit of yellowing, it’s a nice start of what I hope will be a future collection of Wood memorabilia, and I’ll make sure to give it a special place on my living room wall. I’m not gonna say how much it cost, but I consider this to be the find of 2012. And unlike some of the other items on the market this came with a reasonable pricetag!

I think it’s a cruel irony that the poor filmmaker that spent a lifetime experiencing ridicule and defeat upon heartbreaking defeat – slowly sending him off on a downward spiral with alcohol – never got to experience how two years after his death in 1978 him and his work starting to gather a loyal cult following. Every piece of promotional material that was thrown away in disgust by frustrated distributors and theatre owners back in the 1950s (and according to The Hollywood Book and Poster interview in Mark Patrick Carducci‘s Saucers Over Hollywood didn’t cost more than a couple of bucks up until the 80s) are now at a feverish point where a copy of the original script will set you back at least $30. And that’s not all. How about a full set of Bride of the Monster lobby cards for almost $1,700? Or a second set for $1,800 – and those are not even in mint condition! I am so envious of a friend of mine (who’s name I won’t reveal out of respect for his privacy) that scored that very same set for the amazing bargain of just $75.

Even though my personal fave from Wood is his 1953 debut Glen or Glenda?, the Bride of the Monster is part of his infamous “trilogy” – peaking with his Plan 9 From Outer Space in 1959 – but Ed kept going up until the 70s, mainly writing and directing various porn movies (for a dose of true surrealism I can recommend his 1971 Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love starring my fave cutie troll Rene Bond.) The Bride of the Monster is easily available in numerous releases, but you can check it out on YouTube:

Well, ’tis the season to be merry, and as Sweden finally started to get some snow and the temperature’s getting around -6 degrees centigrade (approx. 21 F) after an amazingly dark, rainy and depressive November it’s nice to just snuggle up and get cozy indoors. I got all giddy earlier today as the snow began to fall and premiered my yearly tradition of watching Chevy Chase in the brilliant National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation quite early – usually I wait until at least one week before X-Mas. It’s a personal fave and probably my number one Christmas movie, and if you haven’t checked it out please do. There’s a trailer on YouTube to whet your appetite.

Anyway; for those wanting a nice hunk of cheese in December I can highly recommend the 1964 epically titled Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. It’s pure Wisconsin baby! The debut of actress Pia Zadora it has a nice Ed Wood kinda feel and a plot line to die for: Realizing their children are depressed a team of Martians set out to kidnap Santa Claus himself to start up a toy factory on Mars – to bring them fun, happiness and Christmas cheer. Not everyone is into that of course, a handful of warriors led by grumpy Voldar consider this to be a complete waste of time and Santa a menace to their way of life – with surrealism and hilarity to follow. Director John Waters himself says it’s his favorite movie and apparently he screens a personal 16 mm copy every Christmas Eve. Considered to be in the public domain it’s available online and free to download. Check it out.

Like this:

Well this is great news I got via the Stan Winston School of Character Arts‘ page on Facebook: FX-wizard Rick Baker will receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! And it’s about time if you ask me. He’s been Oscar nominated for his (amazing) work on An American Werewolf in London, Tim Burton‘s great Ed Wood and Men in Black among others (he’s won seven) and is a true master special effects. Congratulations!

Well, someone finally uploaded Misfits complete Static Age album on YouTube! Recorded in just a matter of nights during the late 70s (it was part of a settlement where a major label gained the exclusive rights to use the Blank label moniker where The Suicide Commandos later on released their debut LP and Misfits in turn changed theirs to Plan 9 in honor of Ed Wood), but the band soon found label interested having waned on account of many things including the Sex Pistols US-tour debacle as well as the Sid Vicious/Nancy Spungeon murder generating some pretty negative publicity for the music genre. Oddly enough both Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only was friends with the family and Sid’s mother actually spent one night in the studio listening to the mixes after Sid died and Glenn told her he didn’t think she should be alone at the moment.

Re-released remixed and remastered the album is a horror-punk classic and highly recommended! You’ll easily find physical copies online and at your local record store. Check it out!